Don’t Worry, Your ‘Game of Thrones’ Fave Is Definitely Back for Season 8

Game of Thrones has stepped up its willingness to revisit old characters in recent years, so surely Season 8 wouldn’t leave one of our favorites hanging, right? Fear not, as a seeming casualty of that ice-breaking finale is almost certainly back for the final season.

You’re warned of Season 7 spoilers from here on out, but Game of Thrones fans were largely confident “The Dragon and the Wolf” wouldn’t dispatch Kristofer Hivju’s Tormund as a casualty of The Night King’s assault on The Wall – at least without making it crystal clear. Hivju hedged his bets in subsequent interviews (as Game of Thrones stars are wont to do), but the ever-reliable Belfast airport seems to have placed Hivju in town for production once more, according to BuzzFeed.

The timing certainly fits, as official Season 8 production was said to begin in October, and potentially last as long as summer 2018. And whether or not Game of Thrones is truly committed to throwing off fans with false filming and staged appearances, Tormund’s apparent end was far too vague and unresolved for so beloved a character. Not to mention, if the final episodes don’t do something about the mounting tension between Tormund and Brienne, Drogon won’t be the only one breathing fire.

We’ll likely see further updates as Game of Thrones Season 8 production officially gets underway, but is Tormund doomed regardless?